Wet For Her Warriors (Book 5 of the WILD -- Warriors Intense in Love & Domination -- Boys of Special Forces) (22 page)

“Stop,” she
snapped. His tone, so strong yet soothing, made her composure nearly impossible
to regain. “I know it’s all right. I just…need a minute.”

She pushed a
hand to her face. Tait slid down so he sat properly on the couch in front of
her, tugging at her fingers on the way. “A minute to slam the silver dome back
on?” He tightened his hold, a wordless command for her attention. “I don’t
think so, babe. No running, Lani. No hiding. Especially not here and now.”

“Please,” she
whispered. “I—really need—”

That did it. The
effort of forcing out even those words, and she was done. The wall of her
composure, weakened so much by her sexual release, started caving to the rest
of her emotions. The sobs detonated in her chest like clay skeet discs, the
debris flying into every corner of her soul. As Kellan finally slid his cock out,
she collapsed forward onto Tait, dumping her tears onto the chest that was so
perfectly made for capturing them.

Poor Kellan,
with his arm still caught between them, simply pressed against her back and kissed
her nape. His tenderness made her cry harder. “T is right,” he told her. “Keep
the covers off, sweetheart. You’re safe with us. You always will be.”

If that wasn’t
enough reason to let the barriers fall more, Tait lifted his hands to frame her
face, compelling her gaze to meet his. The smile in his eyes was the dark amber
of an August sunrise. “Your tears are an extension of your surrender, babe. A
beautiful one. Every one of them is another gift to us, Lani. We want all of
them, Lani. We treasure all of them.”

Kellan’s gruff
laugh spread warmth between her shoulder blades. “And they say
I’m
the
one with the perfect words.”

Tait scowled.
“The fuck they do.”

“You two are
making it hard to lose my marbles here.” Despite her watery giggle, more tears
came. The wall buckled harder. Everything she’d dammed up for two years—the
loss, the fear, the loneliness—gushed past her careful barriers, spilling out
in huger sobs. She managed a tattered breath while battling for familiar mental
footing, anything that felt familiar again. But their hands, Tait at her face
and Kellan along her waist, continued turning her into a weeping mess.

“That’s it,”
Kellan whispered into her ear. “Go ahead, sweetheart. We’ve got you. We’re both
here, and we’ve got you.”

She grimaced.
“I’m…I’m afraid.”

Tait thumbed
away her tears. “You don’t have to be. Feel us here, around you, holding you.
We can handle it. Let us take it from you. Let us have it all, sweetheart.”

What choice did
she have but to obey?

The last of the
tears were the worst. They heaved out, violent and racking, in a soul-scrubbing
both blissful and terrible. True to their word, Tait and Kellan were there for
every moment, even after Kell pulled her back up and carried her to the comfort
of the bedroom. Their voices and their touches surrounded her, cradled
her—which only worsened the confusion that came in the stillness of the night
afterward, as the two soldiers quietly snored.

Taking care not
to wake them, she slipped out of bed and stood watching the world outside,
still so drenched and wind-whipped. But in several places, the clouds had
started to break apart, indicating the storm would be rolling away soon.

She stared at
the two halves of a human storm sprawled in the bed. Thunder and lightning.
Wind and rain. Eruption and magma.

Kellan and Tait.

Her incredible force
of nature on four legs.

And soon, they’d
be gone, too.

Never to be really
hers again.

She gulped hard,
silencing the cry that begged for release against the admission.

Feeling anything
for these two, besides the given of raw lust, is a mistake. You knew it from
the moment you first saw them on the beach, Hokulani. You still know it, as
inescapable fact, in your spirit of spirits.

“Gods help me,”
she whispered. But the strength she expected, deep in that spirit core, never
came. Her only answer was the lonely moan of the wind and the ravaging pound of
the rain.

An aching sigh
escaped as resolve gripped her anew.

She had to
reclaim that spirit before it was too late.

She had to
summon her heart back home before it left on a military transport in a week.

“Satan’s flaming
balls. How did trouble follow you asshats like a goddamn rain cloud to that
island?”

Franzen always
did have a way of nailing the thematic nail on the head.

Tait propped his
elbows on his knees, now covered by a pair of light pants, and loosely laced his
fingers. He caught Kell’s eye roll before the guy leaned toward the cell phone
resting on the lanai table. It was still soggy and cloudy out here, but the
porch gave them the privacy needed for the call to their CO, along with good
sight lines into the house, where they could see if Lani woke up and came
searching for them.

Kellan scooted
in a little more before responding, “With all due respect, Captain, it’s not
officially ‘our’ trouble this time.”

“Yeah, damn it.
You’re right.” Franzen sounded like Grumpy the Dwarf crossed with Kaipo, his
big Samoan friend from the convenience store down the road. Whether Franz had
always possessed the slight accent, or it gained strength when he spoke to
people on Kauaˋi, Tait wasn’t certain. Didn’t matter at the moment. They
had a bigger tuna on their plate to fry. “Look, I’m sorry,” Franz muttered. “Lani
and Leo are like family. I figured you’d meet them sooner or later during your
stay, but now I’m glad it was sooner instead of later. This bullshit with
Benstock…I didn’t know it had gotten to the point of Benson harassing her like
this.”

Tait smirked.
“Too bad you’re not here to meet his little band of merry men, Franz.”

Kell palmed his
forehead with a chuckle. “Damn. Can’t believe I skipped that part.”

“Slash-tonic’s
losing his touch. Seriously, Captain, you would’ve eaten those boys for
breakfast.” He cut his laugh short when Franz didn’t hop on that one to issue a
good bacon or Pop Tarts joke. “Franz? You still there?”

“Yeah, yeah.”
There was a hint of bemusement in the man’s reply. “I’d just forgotten what it
sounded like to hear you laugh, T-Bomb.” The man didn’t let the awkward moment
stretch for too long. “Band of merry men? I’ll take your word for it, though I have
some ideas based on the one time I had the pleasure of meeting Gunter.”

Kell curled a smile
at their captain’s caustic tone. “‘Pleasure,’ eh?”

“
Psshh
.
Our afternoon tea lasted for two minutes before I told him to go to hell.
Bastard made an offer on
our
place so he could use it as a tennis club
for the resort.”

“You mean the
resort that isn’t going to be a resort?” Tait stated.

Franzen’s huff
filled the line. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Slash, you’re absolutely sure you heard
the guy from Benstock say Pyongyang and Tehran?”

Tait traded a
troubled glance with Kell. It wasn’t like Franz to question their intel, even
if it had come verbally. But this situation wasn’t like any other. This mystery
wasn’t happening in some foreign land, to complete strangers. It was going down
in the man’s own backyard, directly involving people who were “like family” to
him. A little hesitation, perhaps denial, could be understood.

For a few
minutes.

They’d made this
call, even risked Lani overhearing it, in order to enlist Franzen’s help. That
urgency was stamped on Kellan’s face as he returned, “Those aren’t words a guy
has trouble understanding, Captain. And though I was on a cell, I made the call
from downtown Lihue. The connection was good, no static or interference.”

Franzen exhaled
for a good ten to twenty seconds. “Okay, I believe you, man. It’s quite a crazy
story, but I’ve heard crazier.”

“So what’s our
next move?” Tait asked.

“You two aren’t
doing anything except making sure Lani and Leo are safe, though that duty
roster is subject to grow once I get the CIA’s take on this. We’ll likely have
to interface with several of their field units, but I’m going to start with
Colton to try and expedite things. You’ll need to be patient. As of right now,
I’m putting you both back on the time clock. Start keeping logs. You’ll report
in twice a day; I’ll let you know ASAP whether that’s to me or a CO with a team
positioned closer to the island.”

Kellan tilted
his head, illustrating the depth of his thought. “And positioned ‘farther away’
than you in other ways?”

“Yeah, yeah,
Swami Slashie. You got me. Look, I won’t gloss coat this for you boys. I care
about the Kails—a lot. When their parents went down with that plane, it was
like part of our family was gone, too. Lani and Leo have been through ten years’
worth of pain in the last two, and I promise serious pain to any and all scumbags
who add to that.”

 He traded
glances with Kellan again.
What if we’re a couple of those pain-inducing
scum bags
?

“Gentlemen? Are
you still with me?”

It didn’t escape
Tait that they both drummed nervous fingers on their thighs because of a voice
in a box smaller than a SIG magazine. “Affirmative,” he stated. “Here and
acknowledging you, Dragon.”

He purposely
used Franz’s call-sign in hopes of shifting the man back toward a mission logistics
mindset. But fate wasn’t in the mood for leg-ups today.

“That’s mighty
good to hear, T-Bomb—especially from you.”

“Especially from
me why?”

“I sent you
there to deal with your past. Hokulani Kail is more than a passing look-a-like
for a big piece of that past—in walking, talking, sass-slinging form.”

And moaning,
writhing, climaxing form. And screaming, too, if his cock hadn’t been buried in
her throat…

He gritted his
jaw to force the image from his mind. “Uhhh, yeah. It didn’t escape my
attention, Captain.”

“And yet you’re
still functioning.”

Beneath his
breath, Kellan cracked, “Guess you could call it that.”

Tait kicked him
in the shin. “Lani’s an understanding person.”
And insightful. Generous.
Smart. Sweet. And passionate…holy hell, is she passionate…
“Being around
her and Leo has been…weirdly therapeutic.”

“I know the
feeling.”

His reflective
mood was replaced by a surge of alarm. And yeah—he went ahead and admitted it—jealousy.
Had Franz and Lani been an item? Were they still? “Uhhh, you do?” He had no
idea how he kept his tone so neutral.

“Absolutely. The
vibe between those two is addicting. They’re good kids. And Hale Anelas…well,
you’ve probably discovered that the place lives up to its name. There’s
something magical about that little valley.”

They’re good
kids.
Whew. So Franz looked at Lani like a little sister of sorts. Now he just hoped
that the “of sorts” part had casual connotations, not protective,
testicle-stabbing ones.

“Agreed.” Kellan
jumped in, ensuring he didn’t have to shoulder this part of the conversation
alone. “We convinced Lani to let us help with a few repairs around the place,
too. T’s been great with the horses.”

“Horses?”

“Believe it or
not, my boyhood wasn’t completely wasted,” he answered to the amazement in
Franz’s voice. Uncle Jonah had made sure of that, thank God. “Been around a few
flying hooves in my time and managed to avoid most of them.”

“Outstanding.”
Their CO burst back into his hoo-rah GI Joe mien, accenting with a loud hand
clap. “Sounds like you’re making progress, then—which makes me even more
grateful that you two are in the right place at the right time.
Mahalo
,
Sergeants, from everyone in my
ohana
.”

From everyone in
my family.

Tait purposely
didn’t look to Kellan now. He already knew what evidence he’d see on his
friend’s face. The same conflicted conscience that stabbed guilty needles into
him.

“Captain,
there’s no need for that. I’m just glad to be doing my job again.” At least
every word of
that
was the truth.

Kellan helped
guide the conversation deeper into the safety zone by cracking, “Oh, yeah? Tell
that to my Remington, sitting in the closet here with nothing to do.”

Tait rolled his
eyes. “I still can’t believe you brought that thing.”

“The sniper
rifle stays in the closet, Slash,” Franz mandated. “With any luck, this is
going to be a babysitter’s club of a gig for you. Easy and fast. Make sure
Benson doesn’t go near the Kails
or
the ranch, and stay sharp on
gathering more intel.”

“Roger,” they
answered in tandem.

“Let’s round the
wagons up again in ten hours, at nineteen hundred hours. Call me at the same
number unless I text otherwise.”

“Roger,” Tait
repeated.

“Maybe by then we’ll
find something for me to shoot,” Kell muttered.

“Dear Christ,”
Tait retorted.

“Sergeant Rush,
keep your hands off the Remington. And Sergeant Bommer, keep your hands off
Hokulani Kail. And both of you, try to keep the island intact for another day,
would you? Dragon is peace outtie.”

The line went
ominously silent.

Tait still leaned
and peered at the phone’s window, making sure their CO had really hung up
before falling back in his chair, slamming the butt of a fist against his
forehead. “Fuck. Me.”

“I’d rather
not.”

“
Now
he
tells me to keep my hands off her?”

Kellan sank into
a chair opposite him. “I think I feel shittier. He thinks I’ve been sitting
around mooning over my rifle.”

“He pinned half
of it right. You
have
been mooning, in a sense.”

“Ha fucking ha.”

“True fucking
true.”

Kell’s eyes
bugged before he slammed them shut and shook his head. “Why do I feel like we
just slept with the boss’s sister?”

“Because we
did.” As crushing a weight that settled on his chest from that, his next
admission took his lungs into the freshly-crushed category. “But that’s your
issue to deal with now.”

“What do you
mean?”

He cocked his
head. “I mean that you don’t have to worry about me going gonko over everything
that’s recently—errr—transpired. I may have thrown out a few morose moons of my
own over Luna, but I’m shooting way more straight with this situation.” He
leaned forward again, deliberately casual with the posture to balance his dip
into serious intent. “What happened last night…was a gift. One I’ll never
forget. So thank you.”

Kellan’s dark
perplexity wasn’t on his list of expected reactions. “What the fuck are you
talking about?” He spread his feet and cupped his knees with both hands. “Tait,
I can’t believe you don’t see the gift
you
gave
me
, not to
mention Lani.” He snorted, seeming damn near amused. “The way she reacted to
that spanking…the place where it took her…she looked so fulfilled. So peaceful.
And holy shit, when she finally orgasmed…”

He laughed,
watching his buddy’s eyes roll back. “Pretty good, eh?”

“Thought I’d never
get my cock back.”

“Not necessarily
a bad thing.”

“Not at all.”
Kell cleared his throat and joined in on the laugh. But a second later, he
sobered again. “I had no idea,” he murmured. “I had
no
concept at all
about what this D/s stuff could really be like.”

Tait smiled.
“I’d always sensed there was a Sir Kellan buried under that thick skull
somewhere. You kept coming back to Bastille with me, so I knew you remained
curious.” He shrugged, another attempt to diffuse the impact of his words. “But
you’re not the first one who’s been scared off by witnessing that kind of an
intense connection.”

Despite
softening the statement, he braced himself for Kell’s backlash. The man never
let anyone past tab one or two on his well-ordered emotional file, where there
was never anything out of place or needing to be “examined.” His parents were
still together, sent him cards for every holiday imaginable, and doted equally
on Kadian, his younger sister. He’d come from the heart of
baseball-and-apple-pie USA, meaning there couldn’t possibly be anything missing
in his head or his life. In this friendship, Tait was the fucked-up one needing
advice—and Kellan never forgot it.

Until,
apparently, today.

His buddy lifted
a smile that actually touched on self-deprecating before answering, “Connection.
Shit. Yeah…that’s what it is, isn’t it?”

“There’s no way
you can give a subbie what she needs without it,” Tait offered. He let his
smile grow reflective as he went on, “To watch her skin shiver, then form
little drops of perspiration…to feel the pulse beneath her wrists and neck…even
to hear her every breath, and know that you can heighten all of it with the
power of your domination… Hell yeah, connection is key. It’s everything.”

“It’s amazing.”

His friend’s
confession came on a guttural grate. To Tait, it was also the most meaningful
thing his friend had ever said. “Amazing is also a damn good way of putting
it,” he replied.

“But for her,
too, right?” Kell lifted a stare that was darker than usual. “For the
submissive. She’s just as connected back to you, isn’t she?”